We adore stories on tape/CD. I was lucky enough to be able to pass many of my childhood books and tapes down to my two children….but I’m always, always on the lookout for new audiobooks….creative ones…..and revamped classic ones, too!

I was so excited to learn about Maestro Classics. Maestro Classics CDs combine two of the things I (we) love best: Ageless stories and classical music!

Just out is Maestro Classics’ newest title, the timeless story of The Tortoise and the Hare. This is their 8th release, and it’s not to be missed! This classic tale is humorous and entertaining, all the while (as we all know) teaching a moral lesson about laziness and boasting.

This story is narrated by Yadu, a.k.a Dr. Konrad Czynski, and it features in the background the London Philharmonic Orchestra with music conducted by the Maestro himself, Stephen Simon. Composer and conductor Stephen Simon (along with producer Bonnie Ward Simon) originally created and performed The Tortoise and the Hare for the Concerts for Young People series at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The release of The Tortoise and the Hare confirms their continuing commitment to provide opportunities for children and their families to expand listening horizons, hone listening skills, accumulate musical memories and encourage children and adults to listen together.

There are bonus tracks on the CD that play after the story has been told. Since one of the animal characters in the story is stretched a bit to be of French decent, jovial French tunes tag along for a ride, including a Dixieland rendition of the well-known song, “Pretzel Vendor of Paris.” Four other tracks give your children background information on the fable itself, as well as more trivia about how the music is composed and performed.

You can purchase Maestro Classics’ The Tortoise and the Hare, or any of their other CDs, for $16.98 at their convenient online shop. Also available are a few gift sets! Browse through their site for other fun tidbits, such as sound clip samples and lesson plans!

Win it! Thanks to Maestro Classics and Sugar Mountain PR, TWO of you will win your very own copy of Maestro Classics’ The Tortoise and the Hare! To enter to win, comment below with another one of Maestro Classics’ CDs or gift sets that your children would love to listen to or own! I’ll close the contest next Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congrats to our two winners:
#9, MamaB
#14, Cindy